{"id":1603,"date":"2025-04-07T22:29:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T22:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/?p=1603"},"modified":"2025-04-07T22:29:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T22:29:59","slug":"pig-butchering-scam-personal-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/pig-butchering-scam-personal-story\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Got Scammed in a Pig Butchering Crypto Scheme (And What You Need to Know Before It Happens to You)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alright, let\u2019s get straight to it\u2014yes, I got scammed. Duped. Suckered. And not by some amateur prince-from-Nigeria email. No, this was the full gourmet version of a scam\u2014something the cyber underworld lovingly calls a Pig Butchering Scam<\/em>. Romantic name, I know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term sounds ridiculous, but it\u2019s basically a long con where the scammer \u201cfattens up\u201d the victim emotionally and psychologically before going in for the kill. And yeah, I was the pig in this story. So let\u2019s rewind and walk you through how it all unfolded\u2014because if it can happen to someone as cautious and skeptical as me, it can happen to anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It All Started with a Wrong Number (Or So I Thought)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It began like this: I got a WhatsApp message from someone named Alsae. She said she was looking for a \u201cMr. Something\u201d (I don\u2019t even remember the name now) who was supposed to be some boutique director in Singapore. Harmless enough, right? Just a mistaken message?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except… she didn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She used the excuse to strike up a conversation. At first, I kept my guard up. You know that internal voice? Mine was yelling, \u201cSketchy! Don\u2019t engage!\u201d But she kept it casual. Polite. Harmless. We chatted occasionally for the next few weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She even flirted a little\u2014nothing over the top\u2014but hinted at romantic interest. I wasn\u2019t really in the mood for a relationship, so I didn\u2019t lean into that, but it gave her an opening to build rapport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we started talking about crypto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Coinhako to the Rabbit Hole<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I had some investments running on Coinhako, and I casually mentioned that things weren\u2019t going well. I was down almost 50%, which\u2014let\u2019s be honest\u2014isn\u2019t that rare in crypto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said, \u201cOh, you should try margin trading. I\u2019ve been doing it for a while. My dad\u2019s team has these special timings<\/em> they follow to maximize profit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, I\u2019m not new to this space, but I am<\/em> always curious. So when she offered to guide me through a few small trades, I figured… why not test the waters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She told me to download Coinbase Wallet<\/strong>\u2014not to be confused with Coinbase.com<\/strong>. (Quick side note: Coinbase Wallet is a separate app that lets you connect to decentralized apps. It\u2019s legit, but it\u2019s also easy to misuse if you\u2019re not careful.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she had me go to a site called bdexted.org<\/a>, which I now know is as shady as it sounds. We connected the wallet, traded some USDT (Tether), and boom\u2014first trade: 10% profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She walked me through everything over WhatsApp, step-by-step, like she\u2019d done it a hundred times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hook: \u201cLet\u2019s Make Real Money\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the part that really got me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a couple of successful withdrawals back to my Coinhako wallet (which I also cashed out to my bank), she said, \u201cWhy are you putting in so little? You\u2019re wasting time. If you want to make real gains, you need to put in more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I did. I put in 15,000 USDT<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And guess what? The same pattern happened. We made a few trades, earned profits, I cashed out again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is textbook scammer psychology\u2014they let<\/em> you win at first. It builds trust. It makes you feel like you\u2019re in control. You\u2019re not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snowball: A Bigger Margin, A Bigger Lie<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A few days later, she told me there was a new \u201cpromotion\u201d on the trading platform. You could pick a deposit tier between 100K and 500K USDT. I picked 200K. Not because I had it\u2014but because she said she could \u201clend\u201d me some, and I just needed to top up the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The catch? They said I had to deposit the entire amount upfront<\/strong>, and my earlier earnings on the platform didn\u2019t count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, if I didn\u2019t hit the amount in time, my account\u2019s \u201ccredit score\u201d would drop and potentially get frozen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it sounds ridiculous in hindsight. But when you\u2019re already halfway in, with successful trades and earnings to back it up? The psychological trap is real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She even \u201ctransferred\u201d more USDT to help me. But this is when my skeptical INTP brain<\/a> finally kicked back in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gut Feeling Meets Etherscan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I started digging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went to etherscan.io<\/a>, plugged in my wallet address and the platform\u2019s wallet address, and guess what? All my transactions were there\u2014but her transfers to me? Nada. No trace. It was all smoke and mirrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when I knew\u2014this wasn\u2019t just shady. It was a full-blown, orchestrated scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I filed a police report. Reached out to cybercrime authorities. And even dragged out the WhatsApp convos for a few more days to collect more evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she ghosted me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and I almost forgot\u2014she had changed numbers multiple times. The tone of her messages slightly shifted, too. Looking back, it probably wasn\u2019t even one person\u2014it was likely a whole team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporting to Chainabuse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my quest to alert others and possibly aid in recovery, I reported the fraudulent website to Chainabuse<\/a>. For those unfamiliar, Chainabuse is a platform dedicated to reporting and combating blockchain-related scams. They offer resources and support for victims, and by reporting, you contribute to a database that helps prevent others from falling into similar traps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beware of Recovery Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A word of caution: after such incidents, you might be tempted to seek out crypto recovery services. Be wary. Many of these are scams themselves. They promise to retrieve your lost funds but often require upfront payments. Remember, due to the nature of blockchain transactions, reversals are nearly impossible. Always research thoroughly before engaging with any recovery service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aftermath: Burnt, But Wiser<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Am I lucky or unlucky?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honestly… both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I lost my savings. I took out investments. I even borrowed from the bank thinking I\u2019d pay it back fast with the next big win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I could\u2019ve<\/em> lost everything. The scam was still escalating when I caught on. That\u2019s the scary part\u2014it\u2019s designed to keep you hooked and blind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real kicker? I\u2019ve studied Buddhism<\/a> for years. I should\u2019ve known better. Greed, attachment, illusions\u2014I\u2019ve read the books, man. But even with all that, I got pulled in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because these scammers are good<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What You Should Know (Before It’s Too Late)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s one thing I want you to take away from this\u2014it\u2019s this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t ever trust any platform or \u201cfriend\u201d that pushes you to connect your wallet to a site you don\u2019t recognize.<\/strong> I don\u2019t care how charming they are. I don\u2019t care how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Help Isn’t Exactly Helpful<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So after realizing I\u2019d been scammed, I did what anyone would do\u2014I filed a police report. I wasn\u2019t expecting miracles, but I figured it was at least a necessary step. I also contacted Tether (USDT)<\/a> directly, hoping they could freeze or block the scammer\u2019s wallet address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s the thing: Tether won\u2019t take action unless an official law enforcement agency submits the request.<\/strong> It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re the actual victim waving red flags. They need the paperwork from the authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the authorities? Well\u2026 let\u2019s just say the gears turn slowly. Till today, not much has been done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So while I did everything \u201cright\u201d after the fact\u2014police reports, scam reports on Chainabuse<\/a>, Etherscan investigations\u2014the system isn\u2019t really built to help individuals. Once the money\u2019s gone, it\u2019s nearly impossible to recover.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A detailed personal narrative exposing the manipulative strategies of pig butchering scams, aiming to raise awareness and prevent others from becoming victims.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Unmasking the Pig Butchering Scam: A Personal Journey Through Deception","_seopress_titles_desc":"Discover a firsthand account of falling victim to a pig butchering scam, highlighting the tactics used and lessons learned to protect yourself from similar frauds.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[201,203,210,208,204,205,209,202,207,206],"class_list":{"0":"post-1603","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-intp","8":"tag-crypto-scam","9":"tag-cryptocurrency-fraud","10":"tag-digital-crime","11":"tag-greed-and-psychology","12":"tag-investment-scams","13":"tag-online-safety","14":"tag-personal-finance-mistakes","15":"tag-pig-butchering","16":"tag-recovery-scams","17":"tag-scam-awareness"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1603"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1607,"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1603\/revisions\/1607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berishiok.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}